Two at the top hold three-stroke lead

Furyk and Baddeley at 14 under par heading into final round

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. - The player nicknamed "Badds'' says the renegade image he was labeled with upon arriving on the PGA Tour never really fit.

And Aaron Baddeley, a devout Christian who was married by the age of 25, admits regretting taking part in a commercial that portrayed him as a playboy with a taste for fast cars and faster women.

Today, Baddeley will project himself quite differently when he starts Easter Sunday by leading a sunrise service near the 18th hole at Harbour Town Golf Links. And he hopes to have built another new persona there this evening by joining the ranks of PGA Tour winners.

The 26-year-old Australian fired a 5-under-par 66 Saturday and enters the final round of the Verizon Heritage tied for the lead with Jim Furyk at 8 under through 54 holes. Billy Mayfair, who is at 11 under after a 68 in the third round, is the only player within three shots of the final twosome.

Ernie Els raced into a tie for fourth with a 65 Saturday. He and Jerry Kelly are tied at minus-10 and are the only other players within four shots of the leaders.

But the player who will have the longest day at Harbour Town does not consider himself a long shot against that more accomplished competition.

"I'm definitely looking forward to it,'' said Baddeley, whose three wins as a professional have all come in Australia. "I'm going to go out there and be patient and keep doing what I've been doing. Obviously, growing up you always wanted to play on the PGA Tour. To win is just believing and knowing that you can.''

The players closest to Baddeley already know that feeling, with the other three in the final two groups combing for 30 tour wins.

Furyk, who has 10 career victories, will be looking for his first at Harbour Town after finishing no worse than 15th in his last three Heritages. He tied for second last year, when he shot 69 in the final round.

Saturday, he rebounded from consecutive bogeys late on the front nine to shoot 32 on the back and had the outright lead until a bogey at No. 18. One of six players to have broken 70 in all three rounds, the 2003 U.S. Open champion is seeking his first tour win since last year's Western Open.

"I don't want to say it's a two-man race,'' said Furyk, who played in Saturday's final pairing with Baddeley. "There are still quite a few guys not that far back. Whoever goes out and fires the best score tomorrow has the opportunity to win.''

Baddeley has maintained his opportunity for a career breakthrough by mastering Harbour Town's greens so far.

Through three rounds, he is leading the field in putting, totaling just 70 attempts. That touch has worked nicely for the player who has also hit 80 percent of the fairways and is 10th in driving distance for the week so far.

"It was a tough day. The wind was blowing and it was hard to gauge which way the wind was coming from,'' said Baddeley, who celebrated his first wedding anniversary Saturday. "But I hung in there. When I missed greens, I got up and down, and I drove the ball really well.''

Typically windy conditions are expected again today, which could provide another volatile final round for a tournament where players have come from as far as nine shots back on Sunday to win.

Els, whose 15 wins include three majors championships, will be looking to continue his push to close ground that began Saturday morning.

Starting his round two hours before the leaders, he took advantage of calmer conditions to shoot 65 with nine birdies and move past 20 players from a tie for 24th place at the start of the day. He would be even closer to the lead if not for a double bogey at No. 8 when he took three shots to get out of a greenside bunker, including a swing-and-miss when his club hit a bulkhead and bounced over the ball.

Like most of the players at the top of the leaderboard, he'll be after his first Heritage title, although he has four top-10 finishes at Harbour Town.

"The golf course keeps people very close,'' said Els. "To make birdies you've got to hit very good golf shots. It's hole after hole, there's no letup.''

There certainly won't be today, when several accomplished players start the final round with a chance to win, including one who will be seeking a career-shaping accomplishment.